And her babies were in the house.With a drunk man and a gun.
“Tell me why you’re here.”
“I’m here because Ifucking have to be.Because of Kameron and his screwing shit up for me all the time.”
Kameron was Cal’s closest friend.He’d stood by Cal when the world had ended.Kameron had been one of the pallbearers at his mom’s funeral, he’d stood by Cal during his father’s ordeal.He had been there.“Is that Kameron’s blood on your pants?”
Jacob looked down.“Yeah, suppose it is.”
“Did you shoot your brother?”Cal did everything he could to keep his head, to keep his words level and calm.All he wanted was to get Auggie and the girls to safety.Somehow.
His grandfather’s pistol was locked in the fireproof safe in his bedroom.He’d been carrying it lately, until he’d been spending so much time with the girls.
He had to get that gun away from Jacob somehow.“Is Kameron…dead?”
“Think so.That guy was a shitty brother.Telling me I was a loser, that kind of thing.But I showed him.And now, everyone will think it was fucking Bruce Tyler.Especially when you are the one dead next.You…and her.Got to do it.Didn’t mean to involve her, though.But it won’t be believable if I don’t do this.I can’t go to jail.I can’t.But you’ll both die, everyone will think it was Bruce who took you and Kameron out and the bitch just got caught in the middle of it all.”
“Why us?”Auggie asked.“We never hurt you or did anything to you, Jacob.”
Cal held out a hand, keeping her behind him.
“Have to.Have to blame it all on Bruce, then I’ll take over for Kameron.That Clary girl will probably help me.Preserve his legacy and everything.I’ll take over for Kameron, make all the money then.But I got to blame it all on Bruce.Like they did with your fucking truck.Guess I got lucky there.Sets things up for now, doesn’t it?”
“You the one who ran me off the road that day?”
Neilson smirked.“Yes.But everyone thought it was her old man.Good old Bruce.Who stole my dad’s ranch out from under him.”
“Your dad sold it to Bruce.For one hundred grand and an old truck.The land wasn’t valued at much more than that,” Cal told him.“I did some digging after what happened with my father.Before my brother and I bought the rest of the acreage.It was a legal deal.”
“Don’t really give a shit now.You just gotta die, so everyone thinks Bruce killed you and Kameron and then I’ll just be the grieving brother.Go find his body or something because I’m worried.”
“He is your brother.Don’t you love him at all?”Auggie asked.“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my sisters.”
“Me, either,” Cal said.“I’d do whatever it took to protect my brother or my sisters.Or Auggie and hers.”
It wasn’t Jacob he was telling this to now.It was for her.
He was doing all he could to tell her he would do all he could to protect her and her babies.No matter what.
Cal stepped closer to the gun.
He was going to have to get it away from Jacob somehow.
63
He probably shouldn’t have had somuch of the beer.He probably should have kept his head clear and planned this a little better.He hadn’t planned on the girl being there.
But then again, the idiot should have had the alarm system on or something.Surely a place like this had had an alarm?The door had been locked, but he’d been able to get into the one in the basement easily enough.He’d been to the Grady house before—back with Kameron.When Kameron would be stuck babysitting him and he’d brought Jacob with him a few times.Old man Grady had paid Kameron to help his boys with the yard work, while he was too busy to do it himself.Jacob had had to find a way to keep himself busy.
Mostly, he’d hung out in the house with thedaughtersof the house watching him like he was disgusting trash or something.They always had been bitches, too.Worth a fuck, but still bitches through and through.Especially that oldest one who’d turned out to be a cop.Jacob had explored this house when no one had been watching back then.He’d remembered the basement windows, easily enough.And he fit through them just fine.Guy should have done better.“Why didn’t you have a fucking alarm on?”
Guy just shrugged.“I didn’t think there was a need tonight.We weren’t planning to be here long.She needs to go pick up her six kids at the inn in an hour.”
“Well, that was just stupid.You got a lot of stuff people would steal to get.Rich people always do.And the girl.Hell, some asshole could take her and rough her up, have some fun with her.”
“But you’re not going to do that.”
“I’m not a fucking pervert.I didn’t even plan for her to be here tonight.She’s just got to go, too.”
